


dust to dust

by brightclam



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: M/M, Slight torture, everything in the seelie realm but meliorn is trying to kill simon, it's not a good time as i'm sure you expected
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-02-06 12:43:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12817785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightclam/pseuds/brightclam
Summary: Simon returns to the seelie queen, as promised. But he's determined not to tell her how he became a daylighter, and she's just as determined to find out. He's fighting a losing battle, but fortunately he finds an unexpected ally.[picks up where season two left off]





	1. welcome

**Author's Note:**

> ah yes I love finding the rarest ships in the fandom and suffering because there's almost no fic for them

\-------

When Simon reenters the seelie realm, Meliorn is there waiting for him. He’s seen the seelie knight around before, but never payed much attention to him. Now he looks the knight over, grasping at the one familiar thing in the seelie realm. The only new thing about him is a bruise blossoming on his cheekbone, beginning to turn a dark, unhealthy green. It makes the scars around it look more severe and Simon drops his eyes.

 

“Did she do that to you, too?”

 

At first he had found it hard to believe that the queen would scar Meliorn so sadistically over helping them, but having experienced her cruelty first hand, he’s no longer surprised. The seelie smirks, a tiny bit of bitterness and pain seeping through the confident motion.

 

“Not this time, no. I hid the truth from your wolf and he was not happy with me.”

 

Simon doesn’t disapprove of Luke’s tactics, they all did what they had to. But he still hates seeing the garish wound on the Seelie knight.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Meliorn’s calm never breaks, but his eyes suddenly look so old and so sad. Simon feels fear squeeze his deathly still heart; he doesn’t want to know what could make one of the fair folk look so mournful. But he has a bad feeling he already knows what it is; it’s him.

 

The seelie confirms it when he mutters:

 

“I’m sorry too, fledgling.”

 

Simon doesn’t respond to that, just tries to swallow down the fear in his throat. Meliorn gestures him into the seelie realm, the plants waving invitingly, eager to pull him in. Simon steps into the grey-green and lets it close behind him.

 

Simon follows Meliorn back to the court, looking around at the strange world he’s entered. It had seemed less strange, easier to face with Jace and Clary at his side. Now there is only Meliorn’s silence, which is very little comfort. When Meliorn speaks again Simon jumps.

 

“I have been ordered to act as your escort. I will be with you at all times, to protect you from the dangers of our realm.”

 

It’s a fancy way to say he’s Simon’s prison guard. Simon just nods his acceptance; there’s no point raging at Meliorn when he knows who’s really to blame for his imprisonment. Not that Simon has the energy to rage; his hands are shaking and he feels like he’ll collapse at any moment. All he wants to do is lie down in the leaf mold and stop fighting.

 

He can’t tell how much of that is himself and how much is the realm whispering in his ears.

 

He watches the strange dust dance in the air, wondering exactly what it is. Spores? Snow? Whatever it is, he instinctively knows that he shouldn’t be breathing it in. But he doesn’t do anything to shield himself from it; he’s going to be here a very long time.

 

That said, a few minutes later he feels like his throat is closing up. He gasps for breath and coughs, watching in horror as the dust puffs back out from inside his lungs. He doubles over, clawing at the pain in his chest, trying to breathe. His legs give out and he collapses, his body hitting the leaf covered ground with a muffled thud. Meliorn stops, turns, leans over him in concern. The Seelie’s hand on his back helps steady him, but he’s still struggling.

 

“I can’t breathe, the dust—“

 

Meliorn speaks, his melodic voice unusually soft and soothing.

 

“It is normal, your body is adjusting. It will not harm you. Stay calm, breathe.”

 

Simon is still terrified because the dust inside him and he has no idea what it’s doing to him, but he tries to breathe deeply. After coughing out a few more clouds of dust, his throat starts to clear out and he can breathe again. He stays curled on the ground, recovering, for a few minutes and Meliorn lets him. Then he drags himself to his feet and they continue on.

 

Simon can’t tell where they’ve walked to or how long they’ve been walking, the realm seemingly endless to him, but Meliorn stops suddenly. They must be about to enter the court. Meliorn turns to Simon and speaks, keeping his voice low.

 

“If I may give advice, Fledgling, as one who has owned by the queen for many years. Obey her when she gives an order. If she gives you a choice, know it is a trap. Pick the best option, but never expect it to turn out in your favor. Survival is the best you can hope for, here.”

 

Simon only feels more terrified, listening to him list the rules. But it’s better than not knowing what he’s doing, so he keeps the words rattling around his skull until he’s processed them.

 

“Okay, I got it.”

 

Meliorn turns before Simon has time to thank him, and pushes his way into the clearing. Simon can feel the queen’s childish eyes on him the second they step into the court. He drops his eyes, terrified that looking at her will let her hypnotize him, like a snake hypnotizes a mouse. He may be prey, but he doesn’t intend to make it easy on the predator.

 

When she speaks, it rings through the air like a scream, but remains soft and sweet. The entire realm pulses with her power.

 

“Daylighter mine, come sit with me.”

 

Her tiny foot stomps on a patch of dirt at the foot of her throne, kicking up a small cloud of grey dust. Simon would usually refuse to sit at her feet like a pet, but Meliorn’s words are still ringing in his ears and he’s so tired. He trudges towards her, Meliorn falling back to walk behind him. When he reaches the twisted wood of her throne his legs suddenly give out again and he tumbles down, slumping against the side of the throne. 

 

Meliorn takes up position at the queen’s shoulder, not looking at Simon as he struggles to breathe. Simon is already ashamed enough of his weakness; he’s glad not to be watched by the only Seelie whose opinion he might care about. He can sense the queen’s satisfaction as she winds her fingers into his hair. He wants to flinch away from her touch, but forces himself to stay still. It’s far too early in his stay to anger her, he’s just going to have to grin and bear it.

\-------


	2. week one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a time skip at the beginning of this chapter. Simon's been there for about a week now. I didn't want to write it because all my fics turn into monsters and I'm trying to keep this one reasonably short. You can assume the seelie queen spent the time trying to manipulate him into telling her the secret to daylighter powers.
> 
> tw for this chapter: there's a nightmare that includes some blood and death

\------

Simon knows he’s dreaming, but that doesn’t make it feel any less real.

 

He’s walking through the seelie realm, but he’s alone and he knows he shouldn’t be. Meliorn, ever present, has disappeared. In fact, Simon can’t find any seelies at all. He’s all alone in the cloudy, echoing woods. He wanders, the underbrush clawing at his legs, slowly becoming more and more panicked.

 

“Hello?” 

 

As if summoned by his speaking, the familiar trail that leads into the court appears. He’s glad to finally find something he recognizes, and he rushes into the clearing. He stops suddenly, staring at the mass of vines in the center; those shouldn’t be there. The vines part and the queen steps out, dainty but wrathful. Behind her, he can see blurry forms hanging in the vines. His breath catches and his fear increases until it’s all consuming.

 

The queen speaks. Her voice booms like thunder and shrieks like nails on a chalkboard, tearing into his skull and making him cower.

 

“My escaped daylighter returns at last. Is he ready for his punishment?”

 

Simon stares at her in terror, tries to explain that he was just lost, but his voice doesn’t work. She sneers at the pitiful noises he’s making and pulls the vines back, revealing the people wrapped up in them. 

 

Clary’s hair blazes impossibly red in the grey of the seelie realm. She thrashes against the vines and the crimson wounds covering her blaze just as brightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Simon can see Meliorn smirking sadistically, more expressive than he ever is in life. His shortsword is covered in blood and he looks thirsty for more as he presses the blade to her throat. She freezes, eyes locked with Simon, and screams:

 

“Jace! Help me, please! Jace!”

 

He screams and tries to run to her, but the vines catch him too and leave him helpless.

 

“Clary!”

 

Clary doesn’t seem to recognize he’s there, despite looking right at him. She screams for Jace, over and over. The queen’s small hands run over Simon’s face and she whispers into his ear:

 

“She never has loved you, Simon, and she never will.”

 

A snap of her fingers and Meliorn pulls the sword across her throat and Clary is dead.

 

Simon’s fangs snap out and he howls, trying to turn his head to take a bite out of the queen. She laughs as he struggles, but the vines let him go. He runs to Clary, cradling her body to his chest and closing her blank eyes. He hears vines shift behind him but doesn’t turn to look until someone screams:

 

“Monster!”

 

“Mom?”

 

She’s hanging in the vines, his sister at her side and her eyes wide with terror as she looks at him crouched over Clary’s body. He feels blood trickle down his chin and wipes at his lips, staring in horror as Clary’s blood pours from his fangs.

 

“Someone, please help us! He’s a monster, he killed her!”

 

“Mom, I didn’t! You know I wouldn’t!”

 

His words are meaningless. His mother continues to scream for help. The queen cackles and Meliorn looms behind his mother, sword raised. Simon screams, so loudly he thinks he’ll shred his throat.

 

“NO!”

 

Simon jerks out of the nightmare, finding himself restrained by Meliorn.  For a second he’s afraid of him,  but the differences between the nightmare and the real Meliorn are obvious. The seelie is holding his arms to keep him from lashing out and hurting himself or someone else. But beyond that the contact is gentle, Meliorn letting Simon slump against him. His sword isn’t even in reach, let alone bloodied.

 

“I will not hurt you, fledgling. I will release you if you are awake enough now.”

 

Simon struggles to find his words and think straight. Despite the fear left over from his dream, he doesn’t feel threatened by Meliorn’s closeness. He barely knows the seelie knight, but Meliorn has been nothing but helpful since he arrived. And the shadowhunters spoke of him as cunning, but never cruel.

 

He finds himself collapsing against Meliorn’s chest, all the emotions he’d been controlling breaking free. He can’t stop himself from sobbing like a child, the broken noises tearing out of his lips. Meliorn huffs out a surprised breath, but quickly relaxes. He releases his restraining grip so that Simon is free to move, but Simon doesn’t want to get up. They sit leaning against each other until Simon has cried himself out. He’s surprised Meliorn has let him cling to him this long.

 

Meliorn raises a hand to Simon’s back, moving slowly so that Simon can pull away if he wants to. When Simon stays still he rubs a soothing circle over his shoulders and asks:

 

“Are you better now?”

 

Simon smiles up at him, embarrassed.

 

“Yeah, I am. Um, thanks for letting me cry on you. I’ve been having these terrible nightmares, I guess it finally got to me.”

 

Meliorn nods, his face solemn.

 

“That is normal as well. The queen sends them, to weaken you. Everything in this realm is meant to make you more pliable, easier to bend to her will. I defied her once and she sent the dreams after me. For years afterwards, whenever I slept in this realm, I dreamed of my loved ones dying. Is that what you dream of?”

 

Simon closes his eyes, visions of Clary and his family’s brutal deaths dancing behind his eyelids.

 

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

 

Meliorn sighs, hesitates a moment before speaking again.

 

“When I was having the dreams, I had a lover. I would wake him with my screaming, and we spent many sleepless nights together until he found a way to calm me. He would tell me stories, and listening to his voice would help lull me back to sleep. When he wove his magic into the words, it was even more effective. It may not work for you, but I would be happy to tell you a story if you’d like to try. And if you are alright with me casting a spell on you, I can infuse some magic as well.”

 

Simon is willing to try anything, desperate for even a small bit of restful sleep. He nods, and prepares to get up and bed down in his usual spot. A gentle hand on his arm stops him.

 

“You don’t have to move. In fact, it may work better if we are closer. My magic is stronger when I am in contact with a person.”

 

It’s a plausible enough excuse for Simon to sit back down, leaning against him and letting his head fall on his shoulder. Meliorn smiles down at him, fingers just barely brushing his hair, and begins to speak. His voice is even and calm, and Simon can feel the magic buried just beneath the words.

 

“There was once a magpie, who was too clever for his own good. He stole each day from the seelie encampment, and each day they watched him fly off with their provisions. If he had not been cocky, he would have realized that he had become predictable. Instead, he flew into the encampment again and again, unaware of the trap that was being set around him. On the fifth day, he flew in and they were waiting...”

 

Simon’s eyelids droop and his body relaxes. For the first time in a while, he feels calm as he falls asleep to the gentle drone of Meliorn’s voice.

\------


	3. week two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's another time skip this chapter, from week one to week two. Meliorn and Simon have had time to form a friendship by now.
> 
> tw for this chapter: slight violence, minor injuries, mentions of drug addiction and starvation.
> 
> Since shadowhunter blood is addictive to vampires, I'm guessing seelie blood is too.

\-----

Time passes strangely in the seelie realm; the gnawing hunger in his stomach tells him he’s been here for about two weeks, but it feels like it’s been months. He’s only allowed to wander the realm when the queen says so, otherwise he’s to stay at the foot of her throne. He’s not chained there, but he might as well be. The one time he tried to walk away, her vines instantly sprouted and pulled him back, cracking a couple ribs as punishment. It still aches to draw in breath, and he can’t be sure they’re even healing. She hadn’t offered any medical treatment and he only knows basic first aid.

 

His stomach growls again and the queen smiles pleasantly down at him, pulling back her flowing sleeve to reveal the pale skin of her forearm. He shakes his head no and she lets it drop back down. She’d offered to let him drink from her the second day, but Meliorn’s sudden stiffness had warned him that it would be dangerous to do so. He’d refused when she’s offered every day since then.

 

But there is no other to blood to be found, and he can only go so long without feeding. Soon enough he’ll have to make a choice: drink from her and face the unknown consequences, or slowly starve to death. He doesn’t want to take the slow, agonizing death, and he doubts she’d let him starve. He’s willing to bet once he was close to death he’d find himself being forced to drink from her anyways. So really, he might as well take the offer now and get it over with.

 

He’s putting it off, afraid to find out what the effects will be.

 

The queen stands and Simon quickly pulls back, avoiding being hit by the swirling jewelry that adorns her skirt. She waves dismissively at Meliorn as she skips away, throwing the order over her shoulder:

 

“I’m going to that diplomatic lunch, Meliorn. Take my daylighter for a walk.”

 

Meliorn nods to her and bows slightly, every inch the perfect seelie knight, even though she’s not looking at him. He waits until she’s disappeared into the underbrush surrounding the court until he turn to Simon and offers him a hand up. Simon smiles gratefully at him; every movement send pain flashing through his ribs. Meliorn’s help up takes most of the pressure off.

 

They wait until they’re far away from the court, deep in the woods, to start up their usual friendly conversation.

 

“How are your ribs today, Simon?”

 

“A little better. I hope they’re going to heal up soon, it seems to be taking forever. But those herbs you gave me really helped. How are you doing?”

 

Meliorn’s brow wrinkles, a tiny movement that’s still unusually expressive for him.

 

“I am worried. The queen has confided less in me recently, I fear she is planning something big.”

 

Simon’s stride falters slightly, fear making his legs shake.

 

“For me or for the outside world?”

 

Meliorn looks down at a flowering bush they’re passing, long hair obscuring his face as he responds, voice full of regret.

 

“For you, I fear. I am still her chosen ambassador, she would have to tell me of plans for the outside world.”

 

Simon is terrified of what this could mean, but he keeps himself calm. They knew this strange peace couldn’t last, they knew something was coming.

 

“It’ll be alright, Meliorn. I can handle it.”

 

Meliorn smiles at that, slightly more real than usual. He plucks one of the flowers and tucks it behind Simon’s ear.

 

“I am starting to believe that, fledgling. You are handling this much better than I expected.”

 

Simon laughs, picking a flower to return the favor, careful not to brush against the tip of Meliorn’s delicate ears.

 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

 

Simon’s stomach growling again breaks the peaceful moment. He looks down and mutters:

 

“We might have a problem, though. I can’t go much longer without feeding. I might have to drink from her.”

 

Meliorn jolts at that, a rare flash of fear showing in his dark eyes.

 

“You can’t do that, Simon. Seelie blood is addictive enough, but especially hers. If she gets you addicted, you will be easy to control. You would tell her anything to avoid withdrawal.”

 

Simon sighs, buries his hands in his pockets.

 

“I know, but I don’t see another option.”

 

Meliorn bows his head, hesitating, before pulling a vial out of a pocket in his armor. Simon is instantly alert, salivating at the sight of the blood. He growls, his fangs popping out, almost shredding his bottom lip. All of his instincts are screaming at him to take the vial form Meliorn, by force if necessary, and he’s only barely reigning them in.

 

“I didn’t want to give you this unless I had to. If the queen discovers you are being supplied with blood, it will not be long before suspicion falls on me and I am caught. But I cannot allow you to drink from the queen; then you will never escape this realm.”

 

Simon is surprised at that; Meliorn has been helping him survive from the beginning, but never went so far as to promise to help him escape.

 

“You want me to escape?”

 

Meliorn looks cornered, but can’t lie.

 

“I don’t want her to ever learn your secret, and you don’t deserve what she is doing to you. You deserve to be free. So yes, I want you to escape. But this is dangerous, Simon. We must move slowly, or we may both be killed.”

 

“Yes, of course. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me, Meliorn.”

 

Simon pauses, considers, laughs bitterly.

 

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt. That’s kind of why I’m stuck here.”

 

Meliorn gives him a sad, fond smile.

 

“You are unusually kind, Simon. But please, remain that way. Your kindness is not a weakness.”

 

Simon laughs again, but this time it’s closer to a sob.

 

“That’s not how it’s worked out so far.”

 

Meliorn hands over the vial, carefully uncorking it.

 

“Drink. You will feel better with food in your stomach.”

 

Simon chugs the blood as quickly as he can, closing his eyes in bliss as the salty taste flows over his tongue. He already feels stronger than he has since he got here. He wipes at his mouth and hands the empty vial back.

 

“Are you going to be able to bring me more blood? And how do you plan to get me out of here?”

 

Meliorn secures the vial back in the pocket before replying.

 

“In my free hours, I will sneak back to the outside world and trade with Raphael for the blood. Then I will quietly go to the downworld court and ask for their assistance. Depending on who agrees to help, we will formulate a plan.”

 

It’s vague, and very much depends on the complicated politics of the downworld that Simon doesn’t fully understand, but it’s better than nothing. And he trusts that Meliorn can pull it off.

 

“Sounds good, I think you can make it work.”

 

Before Meliorn can respond, his eyes glow green the way they do when the queen summons him.

 

“I’m sorry, fledgling. We must return to the court.”

 

Simon smiles weakly, trying his best to stay strong.

 

“Okay. And don’t forget to get rid of your flower.”

 

Any sign of friendship or even just interaction between them could bring the queen down on them. They leave the matching flowers crumpled in the gray dust of the trail.

 

\-------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it takes a lot longer than a week or two for cracked or bruised ribs to heal and it's immensely painful, I know from experience, bind safely everyone!  
> But since there's magic I've shortened the time.


	4. experiment 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter, but I figured it was better than no update at all!
> 
> tw: a captured vampire, not simon, is killed by the queen. a bit of blood and general torture

\------

When they return to the court, the queen is waiting, her foot tapping impatiently. Next to her are two knights he doesn’t recognize, holding a half conscious vampire between them. His heart beats faster; why is there another vampire here? Could this be the beginning of the plan Meliorn warned him about?

 

The queen gestures for Simon to stop in front of her and tells Meliorn he is released from duty for the day. Simon doesn’t look at him as he leaves, he just hopes he’s going to use this chance to go get help. He has a bad feeling that he’ll be needing the rescue team sooner than later.

 

The queen claps her hands to get his attention and begins to speak cheerfully.

 

“Because you refuse to tell me how you became a daywalker, you’ve forced me to find out through trial and error.”

 

Her eyes flash and he’s frozen with fear when he understands what she means. He’s gone from pet to lab rat, and it’s not a change he’s going to enjoy.

 

The queen advances until she can run a finger over the fangs poking out of his lips.

 

“My scientists tell me the most likely method of transfer is through blood. So we’re going to try that first!”

 

The knights begin dragging the other vampire forwards as they struggle weakly. They look physically unharmed, so they must be drugged. The queen pulls a small, wickedly curved knife out of the folds of her skirt. She pulls his wrist out from where it was hanging limply at his side and he doesn’t resist.

 

He knows this isn’t going to work, but that doesn’t make him feel any better. He doesn’t want the queen to find out the secret to daywalking, as he knows she’ll use it to blackmail the other downworlders. But the longer she doesn’t know, the more experiments he has to suffer through. He’s not going to tell her, he’s not going to betray the downworld like that, but the dread he feels when thinking about what’s in store for him is overwhelming.

 

She slices deep into his wrist and the stolen blood that runs through his blood begins to sluggishly flow out. He winces in pain, but he’s had worse. For a moment he’s sure the game is up, that she’ll see the new blood Meliorn gave him. But it hasn’t been in his system long enough to be processed, so the secret’s safe for now.

 

The knights bring his wrist to the drugged vampire’s hungry mouth. The vampire drinks desperately, but when they lock eyes Simon can see the same helpless unwillingness that he knows is written across his face. He feels terrible that this vampire has been kidnapped and force fed his blood for no good reason, but there’s nothing he can do to stop it.

 

Once the vampire has drunk enough, Simon pulls his wrist away and presses it against his shirt, desperate to stop the bleeding before the new blood spills out and gives them away. He spends the time waiting for his blood to work on the other vampire desperately applying pressure to his wrist, and slowly the bleeding stops. He lets out a sigh of relief.

 

The queen stands up again, pronouncing:

 

“That’s been long enough!”

 

The tone of her voice tells Simon that something terrible is about to happen and he takes a couple steps back. The other vampire notices his fear and looks about wildly, but it doesn't save them. The queen raises her hand to the grey sky and the cloud cover parts, sunlight streaking down and hitting the vampire head on. The vampire screams in agony as their skin burns, blisters bubbling and bursting.

 

The queen stops the sunlight and looks down at the dying vampire, pouting.

 

“Well, that didn’t work. How disappointing. I must go consult with the scientists again.”

 

She waves a hand at the knights. 

 

“Take care of the mess.”

 

Only once the queen has vanished and the knights have put the vampire out of their misery with a sword to the throat does Simon allow himself to vomit. He stares at the dirt, retching, as he tries to process what happened.

 

She didn’t have to kill them like that. She could have tested whether or not it worked another way. She just enjoyed torturing them.  
He stares blankly at the ground, desperately trying not to cry. He doesn’t time for weakness, no matter how much he feels like he’s breaking inside. He has to keep control. This first experiment may not have physically hurt much, but that doesn't mean he won’t be harmed tomorrow, or any other day. He has to keep control and be ready.

 

Please, let the rescue be soon.

\-------


	5. Experiment 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I come bearing an update! There's only a couple more chapters to go after this, I'll try to have another one up next weekend. Thank you guys for reading and commenting!
> 
> tw for this chapter: blood, but nothing severe.

\--------

Meliorn has returned to his guard shift. He can’t tell Simon whether or not his quest for help was successful, but Simon feels like it was. Meliorn stands at the queen’s shoulder, looking more relaxed than he has in days. His hope relaxes Simon as well, and he’s dozing against the side of the throne when the queen snaps her fingers for his attention.

 

He jerks awake and scans the clearing, noticing two unfamiliar seelies standing in front of the throne. He feels a surge of fear when he looks at them; something about their straight backs and cold eyes feels wrong. Even for seelies, they seem unusually mechanical. Whoever they are, he’s sure they’re bad news.

 

He’s proven right when the queen begins to speak.

 

“My scientists assure me that your daylighter powers come from blood.”

 

One of the strange seelies nods and Simon hates them just a little more.

 

“As transferring your blood to another had no effect, they believe you may not be the source of the daylighter power, that you may have received it from someone else.”

 

They’re right enough that Simon panics for a moment, but quickly calms. It’s been long enough since he drank from Jace that they shouldn’t be able to detect his blood in Simon’s system. Of course, they will find out that he’s fed in the past few days, and that could be a death sentence.

 

He and Meliorn share a look, but they both know there’s nothing they can do to stop this. Meliorn looks away, his face closing off to hide his fear. He’s trying to prepare himself for the storm they know will soon fall on his head. Simon drops his eyes too, guilt and fear warring inside him.

 

Too caught up in the future, he’s taken by surprise when one of the seelie scientist grabs his arms and drags him to his feet. They order him to stand still and then take up positions on either side of him. Before he can ask what they’re doing, their magic flares and he doubles over. The green energy dances around him, feeling like he’s being pricked by a thousand needles. He screams once in surprise and pain before biting into his lip to stop the noise. He watches in horror as blood begins to seep out of his skin, joining the energy and dancing around him in a wave of red droplets.

 

The scientist’s magic changes and the pain lessens, allowing him to watch what they’re doing more carefully. They wave their hands in graceful arches and the blood droplets begin to separate into small groups. If he had to guess, he’d say they were sorting the blood by type. They scribble down notes and then finally release him, letting him drop to the ground. The blood falls too, showering him in red.

 

His skin aches as he attempts to wipe the blood off of himself. His entire body feels twisted, like they’d reached inside of him and knocked something out of place. The scientists are comparing notes and muttering to each other, the queen watching them intently, and Meliorn takes the opportunity to bring some rags over and help Simon clean himself up.

 

Meliorn hurries away and returns to his post at the side of the throne when one of the scientists speaks:

 

“My queen, it may take us a while to decipher our data, and we can do so more efficiently in our lab. You are welcome to accompany us if you wish to oversee the process.”

 

The queen claps excitedly, her childish excitement matching the deceptively young form she prefers to take. She follows the scientists out of of the clearing without looking back. Simon lets out a sigh of relief and stands.

 

Meliorn returns to his side, now that they’re alone. His face is expressionless but Simon can just barely see his hands shake. He raises a hand and pats him on the shoulder, not used to being the one doing the comforting.

 

“It’s going to be okay, Meliorn.”

 

The seelie closes his eyes and leans into the touch. Simon doesn’t have a heartbeat anymore, but if he did it would be racing. He lets himself run his hand up Meliorn’s neck to cup his face, ready to be shooed away for pushing it too far. Instead, Meliorn presses into his hand and smiles, pleased by the contact. 

 

The tension in his shoulders is starting to ease and Simon grins, proud that he’s able to calm the seelie down. They’d grown close, but he didn’t know how close, and this seems to confirm that they’re at least very close friends. Simon kicks himself for thinking that it could ever be more; it’s not the time, and he’s wasted enough time crushing on his friends already.

 

Meliorn sighs, pulls away, calm vanishing and fear returning. 

 

“I have defied her more often than most, I worry that this may be too far.”

 

Simon grits his teeth, terrified at the thought of losing Meliorn.

 

“Don’t say that. We’re going to make it through this.”

 

Meliorn gives him a sad smile.

 

“I simply want you to be prepared if the worst happens. I still don’t know how long it will take for the rescue attempt to be ready, and I worry that you will struggle if I am gone.”

 

Simon can’t respond to that, his throat too tight. He steps forwards, arms open, asking for a hug. Meliorn pulls him in and they cling to each other, forgetting the dangerous world around them for a moment.

\--------


	6. breaking point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has some violence, torture, blood, and semi consensual drug use if any of that is triggering

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Simon has just finally managed to get the hunted look out of Meliorn’s eyes---and pushed down his own fear----when the queen storms back into the clearing. Simon’s ears pop as she enters, the air pressure dropping. The enter realm bends to her will; even the laws of physics are weaponized.

Simon can’t stop himself from scrambling away from her; the prey animal part of his mind telling him to run. He knows that won’t do any good, and digs his heels in, but he can still feel himself shaking. Meliorn stands tall in front of Simon, hand flexing around the handle of his blade as if he wishes he could draw it. Drawing his weapon on the queen, even in self defense, would be a death sentence. But it certainly is a tempting idea.

Simon, after this fun little outing in the seelie realm, is sure that the worst feeling in the world is having the ability to defend yourself but not being able to use it.

“Daylighter mine!”

The words have never sounded like the pet name they’re supposed to be, but now they feel like curses in her raging mouth.

Seelies peek out of the underbrush surrounding the court, some of them looking fearful or sympathetic, others waiting eagerly for blood to spill. The bushes shake independent of the seelies, the queen’s power making the whole realm shake. Splinters begin to peel from the wood and dance through the air until the queen is surrounded by a storm of sharp debris.

Meliorn doesn’t quail, even when he face to face with the elemental force that the queen has become. Simon’s heart is in his throat, his mind convinced Meliorn’s about to get shredded.

Instead the queen slaps him. 

It sounds like something from a bad movie, but it has enough force behind it to send him to the ground. Meliorn’s sword is halfway out of the sheath and Simon meets his eyes, pleading with him not to try it. Maybe, they can weather this storm. Maybe, they can both make it through alive. But they won’t have any chance if Meliorn draws his sword. Meliorn’s eyes are alight with a rage that’s been simmering for centuries, but the sword stays in the sheath. He nods at Simon, just barely.

An instant later he’s gasping when the queen kicks him the stomach, the blow knocking the breath out of him despite his armor. Simon is on his feet without conscious thought, fangs snapping out with his anger. The queen’s burning eyes turn to him and he wonders if it’s too late to cower.

“You would choose second hand human blood over mine? I am royalty, you ungrateful vampire!”

She spits the word vampire like it’s an insult and Simon almost jumps to the defense of his kind. Almost. Fortunately, by now Simon has learned to keep his mouth shut.

The queen sneers at him, energy crackling around her but not lashing out yet. 

She turns

“And you, Meliorn, one of my most faithful knights. When did you fall so low as to deal blood like a filthy vampire?”

She tsks, sounding like a disappointed mother, jarringly out of place with her child’s face.

“Perhaps it is my fault, sending you out of our realm so often has corrupted you. I am sorry you turned out this way, but you still must be punished. And while I may still need the daylighter, I cannot say the same thing for you, dearest Meliorn.”

She raises her voice, letting it ring around the clearing and echo into the sky.

“Perhaps the sentence should be death!”

There’s a quiet gasp from the bushes and Simon wonders how many of the watching seelies are close with Meliorn. For a moment he indulges the fantasy that some of them would come to the rescue, but he knows that won’t happen.

Faster than Simon can see, a vine grows into a spear and strikes. Then Meliorn’s screaming and spilling green into the grey dust. Simon whimpers, a combination of fear for Meliorn and bloodlust. The queen laughs and strikes again and Simon’s mind falls into a panic. Neither of the wounds are fatal yet, but that won’t last for long.

They have no allies, and no way to defeat her. She’s going to kill Meliorn. She’s going to kill him, and Simon can’t let that happen.

He pushes in between the queen and Meliorn, a few splinters slicing into his skin. The queen snarls at him and he drops his head, trying to appear as respectful and apologetic as possible.

“My queen, I asked him to bring me the blood. I made a mistake. Don’t take it out on him, let me correct it.”

He brushes her hair aside and goes for her neck. She laughs victoriously and tilts her head to give him better access. He wants to rip her open, see if she can survive that. But he can’t take the risk that she would survive and be even angrier than before.

So he bites down just enough to drink from her. At first it’s the best thing he’s ever tasted, but then a bitter aftertaste hits him. He doesn’t stop despite his disgust, and the more he drinks the more the world fades away. He feels like there’s fabric wrapped around his mind, opaque enough that he can just barely see out through his eyes. But he doesn’t feel like himself, like he has no control over his body.

It’s terrifying enough that he stops and pulls away from her, dazedly wiping the green blood from his mouth. She smiles at him, the storm of splinters and burning energy gone now. His body sudden feels so heavy and he’s dizzy, making him stumble. She settles down in her throne triumphantly, pulling him down to his place at it’s side. He goes easily, finding it hard to stay on his feet.

He feels so distant from the world, slow and sluggish, but he still feels glad as he sees a seelie dart out of the woods and begin bandaging Meliorn’s wounds. The queen coos and pets his hair, too busy with her pet daylighter to notice the seelie taking Meliorn into the safety of the woods. Simon doesn’t recognize them, but he promises if he ever sees them again he’ll thank them. 

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End file.
